Less than a year after releasing the original Mighty Mouse, Apple has improved its input device by replacing its USB cord with a wireless Bluetooth connection and upgrading its eyesight with a laser-tracking engine that provides greater precision in creative applications.

The result is an innovative mouse that’s a near-perfect partner for portables, as well as a convenient desktop mouse – especially if you’re left-handed as most laser mice are sculpted for righties.

The wireless Mighty Mouse is powered by either one or two AA alkaline, lithium, or rechargeable batteries that are inserted into the belly of the beast Apple touts the ability to use a single battery as a benefit for portable users wishing to lighten their loads, but the weight difference of the second battery is negligible. Besides, since the Mighty Mouse doesn’t have a docking station for recharging, prudence dictates carrying around a backup set of batteries.

The Wireless Mighty Mouse’s four buttons can perform a variety of tricks, but programmability is limited in comparison to other input-device software.

Thanks to its use of Bluetooth, the new Mighty Mouse enjoys a wireless range of 30 feet, and it also frees up a USB port (unless, of course, your Mac doesn’t come with built-in Bluetooth, in which case you must use a USB Bluetooth dongle such as the D-Link DBT-120). I experienced no interference even when using other wireless devices in the same environment as this mouse.

The wireless Mighty Mouse, like its tailed predecessor, looks like a giant white Tic-Tac, offering a clean design unmarred by unseemly buttons. By default, it is configured as a single-button mouse for easy adoption by long-time Mac purists, though there are actually four buttons hidden within the shell.

Just push down on the front of the Mighty Mouse to click. Sensors automatically and accurately distinguish between right and left clicks, providing the functionality of a multi-button mouse.

In addition to the hidden primary and secondary buttons, the tiny scroll ball on the top of the unit (more on this later) does double duty as a button. In addition, there are two force-sensing buttons on the sides of the unit that act as another button when squeezed simultaneously, though I found that clicking these required so much pressure that I couldn’t do so without inadvertently moving the cursor. This movement may also be painful to users with sensitive hands.

The Wireless Mighty Mouse is competitively priced against multi-buttoned laser mice from the likes of Logitech – and its styling fits perfectly with the Mac aesthetic.